NASCAR Race Review: Bashas’ Supermarkets 200

Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. The NASCAR Nationwide Series raced the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 race on Saturday afternoon at the Phoenix International Raceway, the second race of the season. Qualifying was earlier on Saturday, with 18 Denny Hamlin capturing the Pole position with a speed of 132.979 mph and 27.072 seconds around this newly configured one mile track. 6 Ricky Stenhouse. Jr. starts beside him on the front row. 09 Kenny Wallace starts third.

18 chooses the inside, 6 gets a little too high and falls back and 18 leads from the pole. 6 flies down onto the apron to move ahead. 60 Trevor Bayne takes the lead. 22 Brad Keselowski gets by 12 Sam Hornish, Jr. 38 Kasey Kahne gets by 12. 3 Austin Dillon and 33 Kevin Harvick get by 12. 18 drives under 60 to take the lead. 33 gets by 3. 22 and 38 get by 60. 38 gets by 22. (They mention that 54 Kyle Busch in his own KBM car moves all the way up to 13th from 14th!)

The first caution comes out during the commercial for debris. 7 Danica Patrick gets back onto the lead lap. 18, 2 Elliott Sadler and 3 take two tires and come out of the pits in that order. 3 gets too high, wiggles and catches it. 33 with four new tires, takes the lead. 54 scuffs the wall. 38 gets by 20 Joey Logano for fifth.

The second caution comes out when 09 Kenny Wallace blows a right front tire and smacks into the wall. He melted the bead and the tire blew. 08 Casey Roderick gets his lap back.18 and 33 restart out front. 33 takes the lead. 60 gets into 22 trying to get by. 43 Michael Annett scrapes the wall. 43 makes it three wide to get by.

The third caution comes out for debris. 18 and 22 restart on the front row. 22 takes the lead. 38 gets into the wall quite hard, sending 33 off onto the apron, but no caution comes out. (Nice save Kevin.)

2 takes the lead and the rest of the field cannot catch him. Elliott Sadler wins the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 race at Phoenix International Raceway. This NASCAR race fan loves the finish with a Nationwide driver winning the Nationwide race. Keselowski finished second, followed by Stenhouse, Jr., Dillon, Harvick, Hornish, Jr., Bayne, Logano. Hamlin and Annett for the top ten. In Nationwide points, Elliott Sadler remains in the lead. Austin Dillon moves up a spot into second, Trevor Bayne moves up two spots into third, while Cole Whitt falls two spots to fourth. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Sam Hornish, Jr. each move up four positions to fifth and sixth while Tayler Malsam falls three spots to seventh. Benny Gordon falls three spots to ninth while Joe Nemechek moves up three spots into tenth.

Next up: the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday for the Subway Fresh Fit 500. This race will be 312 laps for 500 K. See you after the race.